What Could've Been
by BandsBookNerd
Summary: One-shot. My new ending to Ignite Me (so slight spoilers)... What would have happened if Juliette wasn't as successful in defeating Anderson? My first Fanfic... Please review. I do not own any of the characters- that honor goes to Tahereh Mafi- but this is my own ending.


The halls are still now. I've gone from floor to floor knocking out soldiers trying to find my way. I'm running around blind here. It was a stupid plan to let Kenji go through first; I should have known that we would get separated. _Nice going Juliette,_ I think to myself. At least him having used to be apart of the military, he knows where he is going and what to do, but I was isolated almost my entire life. I have never been on a boat before, let alone on a military vessel. This place is a maze and I'm just going through the motions.

See a soldier

Fight

Keep going.

I'm more confident of who I am now. I know how to fight. I can control my power. My strength makes me virtually indestructible. And I've learned all these new things but I forgot to perfect the old things. I'm sprinting down here and I'm breathing heavily and I'm sure I'm drawing attention to myself. But I don't care because as I run through the floors searching for Kenji, and our captive friends, Sonya and Sara, and I'm also searching for The Supreme Anderson who is the main objective of this mission. I just need to get there.

I turn sharply around a corner and find no one else, just myself at a dead end. I stop and lean forward, my hands on my knees, and try to catch my breath, and think. I've decided that I'm going to rip apart every inch of the ship until I find what I'm looking for. The floor that I am on now is all silver. Metal doors, metal floors and ceilings. The industrial section. Anderson would not be on a level like this. He is a selfish man and would not be on any floor that would put him at the same level with the staff. He would want to be better. He is the kind of man that would want to watch the world burn while he sits back in comfort. He wouldn't bother with the presence of his staff and workers. I need bedrooms, not machines. I need lounges not, control panels.

But I lost track of how long and far I have been running. I do not know where the stairs are, or where I even am on this boat- ship- vessel.

So I do the only thing I can think of... I harness my strength- feel it build within me and make sure I'm at my constant state. And I jump.

straight

through

the

floor.

And land in a crouched position on a floor just like the one I came from except I'm not facing a wall any more. But I am facing three soldiers. Easy.

They start to shoot at me but when I have my energy harnessed this way, it makes my body rock hard on the outside and the bullets hit me and fall, dead, to the ground. All I can hear are the little _plink_ sounds as the bullets keep coming and hit the ground. It starts to get annoying after a couple seconds so I start forward toward the nearest soldier and grab his gun. I pull it out of his hand and rip it in half as if it wasn't made out of hard, cold, sturdy metal and crumble the two pieces together as if it's a paper ball. I kick out at the soldier, and real back my arm-prepped to throw the metal ball- so that my foot hits the soldier in front of me square in the stomach and so that as he doubles over, the metal ball collides with the soldier just to my right. The one who got hit with the metal ball is out cold instantly, I don't hear him fall to the ground as I reach for the soldier just to my left.

I swipe my left arm as I turn my body to face him and his gun goes flying out of his hands. I go to punch him in the face, but he tries to block me with his forearm, and because of my super strength, I hear a crack that probably means his arm is broken. He clutches his arm and his face contorts in a snarl that shows both his anger and pain. He goes to kick out at me but I doge his attempt and as he becomes off balance I push him hard into the other guy who just caught his wind from my earlier kick. I walk towards them and grab both of their heads and clank them together. Then I laugh at the ridiculousness of what I just did (clanking their heads together), as they both slide- unconscious- to the floor.

I continue to jog down the corridor. I have to keep going down to get away from the industrial floors, so I jump straight up and point my toes and land in a crouch on the floor below. This hallway is different. I notice Immediately. There are no guards or soldiers on this level. The floors are hardwood floors, and the doors look like they are wood instead of metal. The hallway is also wider and the doors are more spread out. This is starting to look like what I need. Living quarters.

I turn to the nearest door, and kick it down. It cracks down the side as its hinges are ripped out of it, and falls to the floor. The room is empty, but at least I know I'm on the right floor now. The room inside is large and plush. It's almost disgusting how much they spoil themselves while other people are left with nothing but a sheet to keep them warm when it's cold and while those same people also struggle to find food. The king-sized bed sits in the center of the room, against one wall. There is also what looks like a velvet couch with an ornate coffee table in front of it in the sitting area on the far side of the room. There is also an open door on the far side which, from what I can see from here, is the bathroom.

I move on. Trying to find my friends, or Anderson, to accomplish _something_ that we came here to do. I kick down door after door, seeing variations of the same room, and wondering _why do you need so many rooms if no one uses them?_ _Why waste the space?_ But I turn a corner and there are only three doors over here. There is an oddly green painted door on the right side of the hall, and there is a normal door to its left then at the very end of the hall- forming a dead end- are a set of navy blue double doors. I go to the green door and weird enough this time... I don't kick it down. I check to see if it's open. When- to my surprise- it is, I turn the knob and step inside.

It was not empty.

There is a huge bed in here with a large window and a beautiful view of the ocean. It's lovely, actually, but what is even more lovely are the occupants- the twins!

Sonya! Sara! As wonderful as ever! Anderson took them and only let them live so they could be his personal healers- that's their power. Any physical and mental injury is curable with their help- although they have told me once that physical injuries were easier.

I rush over to them filled with relief, and overcome with emotion. As angry that I was that they were kidnapped, I am happy to see that they at least kept them in a suitable environment. The last of our people that were captured by Anderson's men weren't as lucky... "Are you okay? Are you guys alright?" I ask slightly out of breath.

They both nod, but I sense that they aren't telling me the whole truth. But I don't have time to pry when they say something I can't ignore.

"It's Kenji!" They say in unison. They are both talking very fast, cutting one another off and I try to follow as they divulge the details to me.

"He was just here but-" Sara cut her off.

"He left to get Anderson, and-"

"He was wondering if you had come yet-"

"Because he said that you two got separated," Sara finished.

"Right, and he didn't know what happened to you."

"But we told him that Anderson was two doors down-"

"And he went in alone-"

"But we told him to be careful beca-"

"That's right because Anderson was musing about finally-

"Maybe-" Sara clarified.

"Having a weapon that would work against people like us."

They were suddenly done and staring expectantly into my eyes as if I would have an adequate reaction to what they just said. I have so many questions and thoughts going through my head but I settle for one, and start from there. "How long has it been since Kenji left to go get Anderson?"

"About thirty minutes ago," they answer together. They each have nearly identical looks of worry etched onto their faces- tight, watery eyes, with mouths pulled into straight lines. And I could understand why they would be worried. A _lot_ can happen in thirty minutes, especially if whatever Anderson is excited about actually works.

"Okay, I'll be right back." I say, trying to give them a smile of reassurance, but it comes out strained. I'm worried about Kenji too. He's my best friend. As I realize that I don't have time for more questions, I hug the girls quickly and turn to jog out the door and just as I cross the thresh hold I hear one of them say "that's what Kenji said..."

I grab the doorknob that belongs the right of the two, navy blue double doors, and gently open it a crack and try to peak through. It's not the brightly lit in the room-which is a shock because the rest of the boat is covered in bright florescent lights-but it's not completely dark either; as if there there might be a window on the other side and the sun has set but it is still light outside. I can only see about an inch to the left because the door opens inward... The room is so large, I can tell because the left wall I'm trying to see is far away so it is in shadow, and the ceiling is so far above my head, probably about 35 feet which explains why I ran into dead ends, and the floors are hardwood like the ones in the hall.

In the five seconds it took for me to open the door and observe these things I decide that it's now or never and decide to open the door... And then I instantly regret that action because I am immediately greeted by two horrific occurrences.

One, is Anderson. He is standing against the far side of the room-about thirty feet away, with a smug smile on his face, and there is someone I don't recognize standing next to him.

Second, is Kenji. And my heart squeezes when I see that he is slumped in a corner, and he isn't moving. It looks as if he was thrown there by force and I don't know what could have possibly done that to him. Kenji is normally one of the best fighters- experienced and strong. Then Anderson speaks.

"Hello, Juliette, my dear, so good to see you again. Although I would have preferred you _not_ to break my ship to pieces- but that can be fixed."

"What did you do to Kenji-"

"Oh, not so fast. You are being incredibly rude. Don't you see someone new here? Here I'll introduce you," he said with a cruel smirk. "Juliette, this is Sam. Sam, Juliette. And now that the introductions are in order..." He trails off and nods his head at Sam. I am confused as he moves his hands that were hanging by his side, and claps. Just once.

I am thrown back against the wall so hard, and my back now aches and I'm sliding about seven feet to the floor now because not only was I thrown back, but I was also thrown up. My side hits the floor hard and I just barely save my head from being cracked on the floor. I have to get to the other side of the room. I have to save Kenji. I have to hope that he is still alive- still breathing. I stay against the wall, and press my back into it and try to stand up, because they can't throw me into the wall if I am already on it. I feel another wave smack me and I realize that not only are these sound waves, but they are _pressure_ waves. Anderson really has found himself a new toy. I try to sprint forward across the room. When I see him move his hands to clap, I slide, feet-first, towards them as if I was sliding into home in a baseball game. It mostly works. The force of the pressure wave he aimed at me went over my head- although I can still feel the echoes since I was so close. As reach them, I lift my foot up so that the momentum of my slide brings Sam's knee into contact with my foot. He topples forwards, but now we're both on the floor. Anderson just watches as he gets Sam to do his dirty work- never one for getting dirty, and always the one having someone else clean it up for him.

I'm was on my back from my slide, and when I kicked Sam he ended up on my left so I clench my right fist and roll over at the same time bracing my body with my left forearm on the ground and just as I'm about to punch him, hard, in the face he snaps his fingers and I'm thrown back. Twisting in midair, I wonder _how many hits could Kenji have sustained_. I'm supposedly virtually indestructible, and if these hits are taking a toll on me I am so scared that Kenji is doing so much worse. The exposure to the pressure waves has made my head light, and my ears are ringing, and I barely hear the thud as I fall to the floor, and this time I cannot save my head from cracking against the shiny hardwood floor. Sam stands up as I try to recover. I'm shaking my head, trying to see straight, I think of Kenji, of Sonya and Sara. I think of Adam's little brother James, who we left on base because he's ten, and too young to fight. I have to fight. I promised him that all of us will come back. I can't lie to him- not about this. I try to stop the ringing in my ears and fail. Sam is walking slowly over to me, _probably worried that I'll pounce on him_ , I think, but I can't. I get to my hands and knees, and I think he snaps again, because I fall straight on my stomach and my joints are screaming and I feel as though I have aged fifty years and became brittle. I am staining within my self for the last dregs of my energy and it makes me happy to realize that the last time I was only thrown down and not backwards. Sam is so close now- he is right next to me and I crane my neck to look up at him-I hate looking up to people like him-and instantly regret it as he snaps his fingers. As my head cracks against the floor for, I don't remember how many times so far, I think I register a smirk on his face. I feel a constant force pushing me into the floor and I try to harden my body, as he keeps snapping- over and over.

It was one thing to think that Anderson found him and forced him to do this by saying something like "It's either you or her-fight to the death" or "I have your family. Fight her." But to think that he is enjoying it- makes me so angry and I draw on that anger for strength. I make my hand into a fist and lift it up as high as I can- which, admittedly, isn't that high- and bring it down on his foot. He jumps back and that gives me the second I need to steel myself and stand up. I try to project my energy towards him. I knock him backwards, but he leans into it. I'm too weak, and I feel my energy- my strength-draining. He's done with the snapping, he's ready to get this over with. The smirk is gone and a foul grimace has replaced it. He moves to clap and I stomp my feet _into_ the ground. Trying to find a purchase on the slick wood floor- but not in time because I'm still thrown back. I am now bleeding from my ears, my nose, and a cut on my forehead. Sam approaches me, and I can't move. When he gets to me he leans down and says "looks like I'm the new best now. Your friend over there... What's his name? Benji? Whatever. I don't care-didn't last long. Five minutes tops. I was having fun though, a shame I finished him too early- accidentally clapped too hard and snapped his neck. But you," he says a tenseness in his voice, as if he was getting angry. "You are becoming a pain! Your done for," he states the last sentence as if he was stating the weather, as if I was annoyance like gum on the bottom of a shoe. He reels his foot back and kicks me, and I realize he can spread his power through his body, as I can with mine. _The claps and snaps is him projecting his power_ , I realize. I curl into my side as it hits me that Kenji was dead even before I walked into this room. Kenji was my best friend. I was trying to bring everyone home. But now I can't even bring myself to stand.

 _This is what it feels like to die_. I think as pain forms in little explosions throughout and across my body. Sam keeps kicking me sending pressure from his foot into my body. And I cough and realize that there is blood in it. And as a last thought I think, I am glad that Kenji's end was quicker than mine. He stops kicking- probably not for my benefit though, his leg probably got tired- and just starts clapping. I feel my body being pressed into the floor. Literally-leaving a small crater the size of my body in the floor. My power is depleted. I have gone soft. I feel the blood flow down my ears and nose in hot streams and I can't stop coughing coughing _coughing_ , and I spray myself with blood that comes up my throat to try and choke me, and my throat is raw. And I wonder why I haven't died yet.

I feel too intense. The blood running down my body is too hot, and my toes and fingers are too cold. And my stomach is too numb and my head is throbbing too much. And then I see the door burst open, guns blazing. It's Aaron! The backup team! Come to finish the mission and kill Anderson. And as I see him look at me with his deep emerald eyes, I can finally let go. And I think _thank you_ for letting me see him one last time,

and I fade into the darkness.

* * *

 **Thank you, if you got to the end of this and actually read it! I hope you enjoyed it- even though it was not the happiest thing ever.**

 **I originally wrote this as an English project for school. My class was required to pick a book and write an alternate ending for it, so this is was the end result. I really enjoyed writing it and I just wanted to see what other people thought of it, and of my writing. So if you liked it- or if you didn't- let me know. Review!**

 **Also, it was kind of hard for me to kill of Kenji and Juliette, especially considering Kenji is my most favorite character in the entire book.**

* * *

 **To lala: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I just might consider making another (a different) scenario in which they are healed. But as I have said before, this was supposed to be an alternate ending to the original book. So I don't know...**


End file.
